The Sheltering Sky
I became aware of this author (Paul Bowles) thanks to the Library of America subscription, and I am glad I did. This edition includes two other novels besides The Sheltering Sky; they are Let it Come Down and The Spider's House- I intend to read both of them later on this year.

The Sheltering Sky follows the story of a young couple, Port and Kit Moresby, who decide to travel to Africa; specifically to the Algiers/Sudan region of North Africa hoping to be able to save their marriage. But living in the Sahara brings them closer at times, but also makes them drift apart. We follow them through all their travails living, or attempting to live, in the extremely unfavorable conditions of Sahara villages filled with sand, wind, flies, bad food, horrible hotels, etc. But they carry on. Port because he is searching for something, or running away from civilization, and Kit because she is following him. Along they bring a friend that somehow Port convince to come on the trip, Tunner, who is after Kip. He succeeds at the beginning when they go to a different town and Port, who does not really like to have Tunner around, decides to travel with another couple in their car (Mrs. Lyle and her spoiled son), and Kip and Tunner go by train. They make love and Kip feels guilty afterwards also for not telling Port about it.
Somehow they manage to lose Tunner, by convincing him to go to a different town than the one they went. Port and Kip end up in a village called Ba (or something like that) where Port, who has been sick for a while with fever (Typhoid), finally succumbs to death. Kip has been taking care of him for quite some time and when he dies, she locks the room and abandons him and the town. We next follow Kip's adventures meeting first an Arab, Belqassim, who becomes her lover even though he has several wives already. Finally she manages to leave Belwassim since the situation for her has become unbearable and manages to be taken to a town called Adrar where the American consulate office helps her to get a passage back to Baltimore (but we do not see that since the novel ends in Adrar and Kit standing in front of the hotel Majestic.
All in all the novel is really good, the writing is excellent and Bowles manages to convey the hot, horrible and depressing conditions of living in those dessert towns. ( )

a few chapters into this work i was preparing for a long (but well written) rather boring story about travel. the kind of book where nothing really happens, no characters really change, and you are left wondering why did i read this?

the second section took a step away from this initial criticism and the third section ran so far away from it, it almost felt like a completely different book. but i loved this about it. i loved how the completely madness of kit is felt through every page. large blackouts from chapter to chapter, you are in the same place as she is. questioning, how did i get here? how long have i been here? that she doesn't seem to care rubs off on you.

the relationship between kit and her husband i believe to be a real portrayal of what can happen in a marriage when the unselfishness is stripped from love. at times it's a hopeless game of hide and seek where they take turns running after and running from. they both desire the intimacy they experienced with each other but a different times. and even than they can't love the other more than they love themselves.

it is a real story. a harsh story. a maddening story. full of philosophy, forewarnings, love, lust, all in a backdrop of clashing cultures.

I discovered THE SHELTERING SKY on Modern Library's "100 best books list". I had never heard of Paul Bowles but decided to give it a try. All I can say is...."amazing!"

THE SHELTERING SKY was written in 1949, and is a story about a young American couple, Kit and Port Moresby; the opening scene....North Africa.....late 1940's. The war is over. Even though international travel is once again common, few tourists are venturing to unknown locations like the North African desert, but Port convinces Kit it is the place to go. From the start Port is an enigma....even to Kit. It is not clear if Port is running away from an unsuccessful job, an unsatisfied past, or some other unhappiness within himself, but Kit loves Port madly, and would follow him to the end of the earth....literally. So they are on an adventurous trip....not a vacation....but a journey, to discover the unknown, and perhaps to heal their troubled marriage.

They travel without an itinerary, to locations that lack even the most basic necessities. And to complicate matters, Port has invited an old friend Tunner to tag along. The complication is that Tunner is more interested in Kit than his friend Port.

From the first page I was completely enthalled with this book. The scenes are captivating. The characters intriguing. The plot suspenseful. As the plot unfolds the tension mounts. What starts out as an adventure to explore the primative Arabic wilderness soon turns into a living nightmare.

LET IT COME DOWN, the second novel of the Bowles "three in one" collection, was every bit as quirky as the first. Again...the setting Tangier, North Africa (The International Zone), the time: post World War II.

A young man, Dyar Nelson, totally disillusioned with his life in New York City, decides to move to North Africa were he has received a job offer from an old friend Wilcox. Wilcox owns and operates a travel agency. Upon Dyar's arrival, he learns that the entire city is corrupt: prostitution, blackmail, bribery, and the black market. And he is immediately suspicious of Wilcox. The travel industry is dead. What is the job that was promised him? It doesn't take long for Dyar to realize he is being manipulated and he decides to take things into his own hands.

Besides Dyar and Wilcox, there is a vast array of colorful characters....an old fat ugly lesbian, a Russian spy, a glamorous wealthy couple, a rich Arab family, and a beautiful prostitute. Nothing in the story is predictable. It is like reading an Alfred Hitchcock thriller.

The third and final novel, THE SPIDER'S HOUSE, is a complex story about life in Morocco during the French occupation in 1954. The Moslems are not happy with French rule. But under the strict teachings of Allah, the majority of Moslems try to avoid politics and go about their lives attempting to maintain their dignity, peaceful culture and strong religious beliefs. Amar, a young innocent teenage boy from a very religious family is the main character. Through Amar's eyes the reader comes to understand just how difficult it is to remain neutral in the face of the mounting conflict between the French and the radical Istiqlal extemists. To the Istiqial, "the end justifies the means" and they don't care if they have to destroy their country to defeat the French.

The story travels back and forth between Amar and his pure Moslem environment, the Istiqlal extremists who are everywhere, and a seasoned American writer who permanently resides in a hotel in the tourist area of Morocco.

Having lived in Morocco during the writing of the book Paul Bowles brings authenticity to the characters and scenery. I like the way Bowles objectively presented all sides of the conflict. It is fascinating to see things from a Moslem's point of view. Even though the story occurred over 50 years ago, it could very easily be Iraq today. And the significance of unwanted foreign influence, philosophically: religion, politics, progress, right/wrong, good/evil...the debate goes on....which is good.... this book inspires debate. ( )